Harmonic Minor Scale
Lesson 19 from: Music Theory Essentials: Chords, Scales and ModesTomas George
Harmonic Minor Scale
Lesson 19 from: Music Theory Essentials: Chords, Scales and ModesTomas George
Lesson Info
19. Harmonic Minor Scale
Lessons
Scales Introduction
03:08 2Working out a Major Scale
06:45 3Working out a Major Key from a Melody
05:51 4Major Keys and Scales
01:54 5Major Scale on a Score
02:56 6Triads
03:37 7Inversions
03:21 8Working out the Chords in a Major Scale
09:27Different Ways to Write out Chords
04:11 10Working out Major and Minor Triads
07:01 11Diminished and Augmented Triads
05:22 127th Chords
12:16 13Extended Chords
06:34 14Suspended Chords
06:02 15The Circle of 5ths
12:48 16How to Change Key
14:54 17Natural Minor Scale
11:21 18Chords in the Minor Scale
05:59 19Harmonic Minor Scale
07:15 20Melodic Minor Scale
11:12 21Modes
03:54 22Ionian Mode
00:47 23Dorian Mode
03:14 24Phrygian Mode
03:14 25Lydian Mode
01:21 26Mixolydian Mode
02:11 27Aeolian Mode
01:03 28Locrian Mode
03:56 29Section introduction
00:17 30Song Analysis 1 - Capsize
15:25 31Song Analysis 2 - Floating
18:07Lesson Info
Harmonic Minor Scale
OK. So previously, we had a look at the natural minor scale, but we do actually have two other types of minus scale, the harmonic minor scale and the melodic minor scale. So let's first of all have a look at the harmonic minor scale. So here I have the C minus scale and sometimes when you're playing in the minor scale, you might switch between the natural minor scale and the harmonic minor scale and sometimes even the melodic minor scale. And the reason you might want to swap from the natural minor to the harmonic minor is because of the leading note. The seventh note here in a major scale, we have that leading note. We have that semi to movement between the seventh and the first note. So that creates the tension when we play the seventh note that semi to movement and resolves when we play note number one. So the C major scale, we have this tension and resolve and you know, instantly when C is played, this is the tonic that this note is what the key is based on. But when we're in a min...
or scale, we don't have that semi to movement we don't have that leading note, but we can create that with the harmonic minor scale. And to create a harmonic minor scale, all we need to do is just sharpen the seventh note of a major scale. So ac harmonic minor scale will have this sharpened seventh, it will have this major seventh. And the reason we want that is so we can tell instantly C is the tonic and it resolves into this c. So if I just play the scale, so it sounds a little different, it sounds a little bit more mysterious, even sounds a little bit more eastern sounding than western music. Let's just hear that again. So we can create some interesting sounds for this. But more importantly, it gives us that leading note here, the B to the C and this works in any key, we create that leading note and then we know instantly what key it's in. However, when we have this sharpened seventh in our minor scale to create this harmonic minor scale, we actually have some more unusual chords which can be interesting, but sometimes you might not want to use these chords. So let's just work out the triads for this harmonic minor scale now, so we have a seat and the third note will be this E flat here and then the fifth will be this G. So the first will be ac minor then going along, we have this D, the third note is an F and then the fifth is this A, if we have a look at this, so we have the D, so 1234, and then if we count up again, 1234, so this is actually a diminished four and four. So the next chord of this scale will be ad flat diminished. And going along, we have this E flat 123, then we have a G and then we go up again gab then we have this chord here, this E flat G and A B. If we look at the piano keys here, if we count up 1234512345. So this stacks five and five notes and this actually creates an augmented chord. So we have a E flat augmented chord and this is the first time we've seen an augmented chord, it's basically a major third stacked on a major third. OK. So we are creating some interesting chords with this harmonic minor scale because of this sharpened seventh note. And going along, we have this F, so let's count up 123. Then we have a no flat and then we count up again, 45. Then we have ac. So here we have an F minor. So we haven't actually had a major chord yet. Let's go along to G, let's count to 3123. So we have a B here and then we can t again four back again, five, we have ad so here we have a major chord. We've had our first major chord. So we have a G major then going along, we have an, a flat and then 123, we have ac and then up again C and E flat. So here we have an A flat C and an E flat. And if we count up 1234512345 and four, we have a major chord. So we have a flat major and then we have the last one which is a B, not a B flat. Remember because we, this harmonic minor we sharpen the seventh. Remember this is a B, not a B flat. So if we count top three, 123, we have ad so we have a minor third there and then we count up to 5345, we have an F. So this is actually another diminished code to have a B AD and A F. So 1234123444 is diminished. You have a B diminished. OK. So, uh yeah, quite an interesting core progression, to be honest. So I'm just gonna write out the pattern here. So the pattern for harmonic minor scale is a minor, then diminished and then augmented and then minor and then major major diminished. So yeah, it's quite different. You can create some interesting sounds. Sometimes you don't always want these sounds sometimes you don't always want these chords. So you can swap back to the natural minor. However, when you have the natural mind and you're not getting that leading tone, you're not getting that strong sense of the tonic. Sometimes you might not want that strong sense, but sometimes you might want people to know what the key is. So let's just fill out this one as well. Remember ce flat and G starts in the minor. So this is a harmonic minor scale. It does have its uses. It can sound a little different than what you might be used to. It does introduce another diminished chord and an augmented chord, but it can create an interesting sound. And of course, it does give you that leading note as well. So that's the harmonic minor scale. It can be interesting, it can be useful, but you can actually swap between the harmonic minor scale and the natural minor scale. And we have one more type of minor scale which is called the melodic minor scale, which we're going to look at in the next lecture. So thank you for watching and I'll see you in the next lecture where we look at the melodic minor scale.
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